Cape Town Is Running Out of Water

The city is suffering from the worst drought in over a century—and it will affect your trip.

December is Cape Town’s busiest time of year, when summer begins, the holidays arrive, and tourists flood in. It’s usually an indulgent month, but this year, Capetonians are less concerned with the ‘Christmas spirit,' as they focus on the region’s water shortage, something the city has been forced to address in recent months. Along Adderley Street, where Cape Town’s annual Christmas lights hang, a sign dangles among glowing candy canes and reindeers: "Save water, water crisis." Cape Town is experiencing its biggest drought in more than a century.

For the past two winters, the city, which has a Mediterranean climate—warm, dry summers and rainy winters—has experienced dwindling rainfall in the winter months from June to August. The result? A severe water crisis that's led to pitiful dam levels and serious water restrictions: Each person in the city is allowed approximately 23 gallons of water to use per day. (To put that in perspective, the average American uses 80-100 gallons per day.) With water predicted to stop flowing out of taps by April 28, 2018—they call it "Day Zero"—locals aren’t taking these restrictions lightly. Nor should visitors.

Despite local and foreign tourists only making up 3.4 percent of the total provincial population during high season, hotels and restaurants are making efforts to keep guests informed and reduce their water consumption. The new Silo Hotel at the V&A Waterfront has reduced its consumption by fitting water restrictors to all the toilets, shower heads, and taps (which saves an additional 20 percent), removing bath plugs from tubs and placing hand sanitizer in bathrooms.

Local restaurants are also doing their part. At La Tête, one of Cape Town’s top new restaurants, vegetables are cooked using still bottled water and ice is being recycled after service. But the drought isn’t just restricting how much water you can use; it affects how much food you can get, too. “We are nervously awaiting the water cuts, but in the meantime, we are dealing with a massive shortage of local vegetables,” says chef Giles Edwards. “Ingredients that should be in surplus are not. Due to this, the price of vegetables and meat has gone up. The effect on the farmer has a direct effect on us.”

With water predicted to stop flowing out of taps by April 28, 2018, locals aren’t taking these restrictions lightly. Nor should visitors.

In the Cape Winelands, meanwhile, some of the farms have a supply of water from underground springs—but that isn’t stopping them from being careful. At Boschendal, one of the oldest farms in the Franschhoek Valley, bath plugs have been removed from tubs and guests are encouraged to be careful with their water usage.

Given that tourism is a huge income earner for Cape Town (and many locals rely on it for jobs), the city doesn’t want to deter visitors. However, it also wants to be realistic in its approach. “We’re looking forward to tourists arriving as always, only this year, it has become our mission to ensure that all visitors, international and domestic, are made aware that we have a water shortage,” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. To encourage locals and visitors to be mindful of how much water they use, the city is finding playful ways to approach the situation. “We have collaborated with the financial services provider, Sanlam, to bring locals and visitors a range of two-minute shower songs that they can listen to while in the shower, making sure that they minimize their water usage with shorter showers,” says Duminy. (The songs can be downloaded here.)

Long-term measures are also underway. The V&A Waterfront is implementing a desalination plant that will produce 2 million liters of water per day, and plans to have it operational by February. In the meantime, visitors (and locals) are advised to reuse towels and turn off faucets while brushing their teeth, in addition to limiting showers to two minutes. Beyond hotels, visitors are advised to drink bottled water, use hand sanitizer wherever possible, be mindful of flushing toilets (use the low-flush if possible), be aware of dripping faucets, and report any leaking water.

Alternatively, you can always take a dip in one of Cape Town’s beautiful bays. Wish we were joking.